


Magical Princess Sparkle Fists

by manicr



Category: Dark Wolverine (Comics), Fantastic Four (Comicverse), Marvel (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-28
Updated: 2014-10-28
Packaged: 2018-02-23 00:21:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2527085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manicr/pseuds/manicr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post LA arc AU: what if there had been a cure for the Heat? Or rather Daken/Johnny fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Magical Princess Sparkle Fists

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gealach](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gealach/gifts).



After LA, and after Heat, Daken had got back to New York and asked the Fantastic Four for help. He’d played nice and smiled and begged like a good boy, tried not to let his rage and pain show. When Richards came with the bad news, that there was nothing to be done, an abyss had opened in front of him and he’d just started to _talk_ without feeling or thinking.

"—Oh, wait, what if I—" Richards interrupted him, mid rant, and gone back to looking at the blood sample. Shushing him into indignant silence once more, Richards rambled on in science speak and gesticulated wildly. And when you were essentially a man made out of play doh, that was very wild.

"What?" Daken asked flatly, too drained to truly care.

"I might have a cure!" Richards said and patted him on the shoulder, bursting into another technobabble rant on organic chemistry and mutant biology, getting more certain and enthused with each rambling sentence.

Johnny walked in and cheered and hugged him, he stood there too stunned to think, responding on reflex. He didn’t even have the heart to be upset at Johnny for being alive, or dying on him in the first place. He just held on and dared to hope that he might survive after all. Even Ben joined in on the hugging and well wishing. Daken didn’t have a clever quip, but he did burst into a coughing fit that had everyone fussing over him like mad.

This was how Daken ended up in the Fantastic Four medical room, hooked up to machines and being fed enough drugs to fit a pharmacy. According to Richards the procedure would be painless, mostly because he’d essentially turned off his pain receptors and partially paralyzed him for its duration. Which meant that he’d be stuck in bed, a very comfy and soft bed, for the next 48 hours give or take.

Which in turn was the reason Johnny took it upon himself to help keep him entertained and comfortable for the duration. First, he had a screen set up and insisted on that they would watch movies together, crawling up in bed with him with soft drinks, popcorn and candy. Daken felt both amused and a bit annoyed at this, but settled in as it turned out to be rather entertaining after all. And having Johnny literally feed him whatever he wanted to have was both fun, as it gave him ample opportunities to make bad jokes, and strangely comfortable and indulgent — despite the fact that not being able to use his hands was an annoyance. After a while, he didn’t really think of it more than just happily demanding snacks or drink. Ben even popped by and watched some stuff with them — Daken made a point of getting the ever lovin’ blue eyed Thing to feed him candy.

"Yer _worse_ of a pain in the neck like this, punk. Be happy that I kinda like ye.”

"I told you I need more hugs — and I am if you give me another." Daken quipped and opened his mouth expectantly. Ben laughed, threw a popcorn at him and ruffled his hair.

The first six hours rolled strangely happily by this way until they got bored of watching movies and TV series. Johnny then started to babble on about all the things he’d done or wanted to do since he got back from the Negative Zone.

"I was angry at you," Daken blurted out before he could think about it.

"—I’m sorry, man." Johnny mumbled and rubbed the back of his head.

"I don’t have friends and I thought you died and I was really pissed off and I hated you, I hated you even when I heard you came back because you didn’t have the right to do that to me, to die and then come back like nothing happened, like you didn’t hurt me—" Daken rambled, cursing the drugs for his loose lips but needing to say it. Johnny was holding him, hugging him and telling him that he was sorry — and he was, his scent, body-language and voice all told him the same thing. Johnny Storm _cared_ and was _terribly_ remorseful. Daken, he _believed_ him, and let himself be held. He blamed the drugs and all the damn touchy feely family crap that the fantastic Four excluded, but right now and here, it felt _comfortable_.

Johnny’s next great idea of keeping him entertained, and thoughts away  from “unmanly” emotional topics, made him very skeptical. It was a video game controlled by a technobabbly head piece and your own thoughts. Daken quickly got a hang of it however and _absolutely_ kicked Johnny’s ass at nearly every game they tried. It was satisfying. For that alone Daken was right about willing to forgive him. Johnny fell asleep in the chair next to him that night, snoring and drooling like a damn five-year old. Susan Storm walked in and put a fireproof quilt on him, kissing him good night with a peck on the cheek, and to Daken’s surprise and mortification did the same for him. Gods, he’d been dying yesterday and now he was at what was as good as a damn child’s _slumber party_.

It was made worse considering that morning he was woken up by a bunch of sugar high brats, that he recognized as the Richards children and assorted wards. They surrounded his bed and piled on top, with no sense of personal borders, and poked Johnny awake.

"Wanna watch anime with us?" Valeria asked very seriously. " _Magical Princess Sparkle Fists_ is starting.”

"Of _course_ we would,” Johnny answered, like a good uncle, at their behalf and Daken shot him a loathing glance, promising that he would have his vengeance. If anything by making it widely known that Johnny watched _Magical Princess Sparkle Fists_ _._ Daken was resigned to watching what turned out to be a sugary sweet shoujo anime with the entire Richards brood piled on and around him like puppies. He did get a good laugh out of it as he recognized the characters as versions of real life superheroes and villains, the main character being a version of Captain Marvel. Kawaii chibi Wolverine had him in stitches, especially since when he walked he made the noise “bub bub” — as did the other multitude of people whom he recognized some of them former team mates. When shoujo-fied versions of the Fantastic Four turned up he swore that he’d buy the entire series and just _mock_ Johnny forever. He was in a good enough mood to even sing along with the karaoke ending song with the children, especially since it was in the original undubbed Japanese. Reed and Susan turned up after the episode and ushered off their entire motley brood to whatever passed as school to them.

Reed returned to check the equipment and the monitors.

"So tell me, Doctor, how long do I have?" Daken half-joked.

"By my calculations, I’d say— a couple hundred years more. You’re getting better, it is working." Richards stated, patted him on the shoulder and smiled with something akin to fondness.

"Just stay away from strange men with strange candy," was the joke from Ben who had wandered in. Daken was starting to feel that his medical room was more akin to grand central station that a private recuperation room.

"Does that mean that I can take candy from you anymore?" Daken retorted.

"I ain’t _givin_ ' ye any, damn little punk.” Ben grumbled and wandered away. Daken didn't quite understand why he'd come in the first place, until the idea that him, and the entire Future Foundation, where _checking up_ on him occurred to him. It wasn’t like he’d _go_ anywhere or was a threat — oh- _oh_ it was that _family_ crap again.

"You love meeee—"  Daken jeered after him, ignoring Johnny’s laughter.

"You have a visitor by the way," Richards told him. Daken stilled and thought who on Earth could possibly want to visit him. The list was short and uncomfortable.

"—I don’t want to see him," Daken stated harshly.

"It’s not your Dad," Johnny fumbled, "It’s _ehh_ , what would you call her? Your sister? Aunt?”. Daken stared blankly at him and it took him a few moments to understand who he was referring to.

"Laura?"

"Yeah. Sis tells me she used to babysit the rugrats for us every now and then. Can she come up?" Johnny asked and it felt strange that he’d even do that, Daken wasn’t used to having his wished asked for.

"Yes. I would… _like_ to see her.”

Laura came up and Johnny left them alone. First there was some awkward staring and sizing each other up. Laura looked the same as she had before, her civilian clothes were plain and dark, and she had the same quiet intensity about her. She also had a colorful package with her.

"I didn’t think you’d see me. I don’t quite know why I’m here. I bought you something," she said quietly and held out the present.

"I can’t move," Daken told her with a raised eyebrow and tried to understand what he had been thinking as well. Laura frowned, walked up to him, sat on the free chair and opened the present very carefully, peeling the paper off and folding it in a neat pile. She then opened the box and pulled out a stuffed toy. Daken stared at it. It was a rabbit that looked like it had seen better days. It was obviously new, with fluffy white and pink fur, but it also looked like it had been severely man-handled and it was slightly singed.

Laura blushed at Daken’s incredulous stare.

"There was a dragon," she stated and put the bunny next to him on the bed. She _wasn_ ’ _t_ lying.

"—thank you. It’s… sweet," Daken managed. They settled into a silence that grew more comfortable than speech. After an hour of companionable quiet, Laura stood and put her jacket back on.

"—he wanted to come," Laura told him as she lingered by the door.

"I don’t care."

She looked at him and nodded understandingly, leaving without any further ado.

The rest of the day went by calmly, Johnny and he marathon watched _Game of Thrones_ and played games. The after morning repeated the same pattern with the Richards rugrats and _Magical Princess Sparkle Fists_ _._

"Daken, I think we can check how things have gone now," Richards interrupted in the middle of the show, much to annoyance of everyone watching.

"Let me finish _Magical Princess Sparkle Fists_ first,” Daken replied, stalling for time, and actually rather drawn into the show, Sparkle Fists was beating supercrooks by moonlight with her best friend Spider-Girl. It was satisfying seeing “Venomu” and “Busuru” getting their asses kicked by shoujo heroines.

"No talking during _Magical Princess Sparkle Fists_ , Dad!” Valeria ordered.

Regardless the show ended soon, and Reed was back to poke and prod at him. Slowly removing the nerve dampers and giving him back full control and sensation of his body, Daken steeled himself for the same pain and exhaustion as before, instead he was met by _nothing_. A breath he didn’t know he’d been holding left him. Still it wasn’t over yet. "So, doctor Richards, am I _cured_?”

"As expected — it _worked_. I don’t see any trace of the drug in your system and your healing factor seems to have recuperated completely. I would still advise you return here for check ups on a weekly basis for the first  month.” Daken wasn’t really listening anymore, he stood up and got dressed in his normal clothes, and hovered indecisively before taking both the singed bunny and the little plush Wolverine — he’d had plans for _that_ but now it just felt hollow — in his jacket pocket with him as he left.

"I need to leave. I’ll be back later next week," he manged as he rushed past Johnny, who shouted after him. He couldn’t stay, he needed space.

Johnny didn’t hear a word form him that week, despite texts and looking for him, but exactly a week later Daken walked into Baxter building again with a bag.

"Where the hell did you disappear to—?" Johnny demanded.

"Away."

"You freaking scared me, bro."

"I bought _Magical Princess Sparkle Fists_ _._ " Daken replied and held out the bag as a peace offering. It contained the three first seasons of the show, half of it had never aired in the US. "Want to make it a drinking game after Reed is done with me?"

"—Sure, just don’t tell the kids."


End file.
